Only yesterday I remarked casually that 'probably it is time the Tatas introduced their new babies to homecountry India - Land Rover and Jaguar. Reading the newspaper today, I felt like Oracle (the he-version): Lo and behold! Both the 'beauty' AND the 'beast' were coming to India!! About time too. From the Land Rover stables the Range Rover basic model, Range Rover Sport and Rover Discovery. Jaguar models three - the XF, XFR and XKR.
While the Jaguar is just another powerful, super luxury sedan, albeit with a irrefutable lineage, the Range Rover is many things to many people. You don't buy a Rover, in fact you acquire one. It ploughs on quietly with an assured elegance, the lines squeaky clean and straight, with all the surety that comes with the simplicity of inherited wealth and innate charm.
This is not for the diamond-stud-flashing, yo-generation rappers in baggie jeans. While the Lexus is too behemoth to look as benevolent as the Range Rover, its sibling the Land Cruiser is more of a dirt monger - both by taste and reputation. It is kind of difficult to imagine the Range Rover doing a dune bashing. You rarely go into the Amazon wearing a Prada or a Tom Ford!
With the rising global sentiment against the Big Daddy of 'em all - the Hummer - due to it's gas guzzling genes, we can safely assume that the Range Rover will be among the next level of conspicous, indulgent off-roading. Now, that is what a Range Rover is about - it is power, stamina and mammoth terrain resilience, all cloaked in garb of geniality.
Translated into a personality, it pulls off passionate elegance, a handsome style and an easy demeanour. Yes, all of these could be hard to come by early. As it is said, the true owner of a Mercedes Benz is never young. What many termed the 'Raymond rut' turned out to be a myth when Reid & Taylor was endorsed by Amitabh Bachchan. The moral was, however staid and old the product image was, you still have to sell it to the old. The reason being simple: they are the ones who have the money. That is, if we are not talking will paper money or the young, bold entrepreneur who sold his startup for a lifetime of luxury.
Portrayal of a character is different from actually being one. Real life is far removed from the reel. While it would be interesting to see which all movie stars in real life buy a Range Rover, needless to say, this is an ideal vehicle for the now-gen of the happening biz families of India. Cannot rule out our entire film folks from the potential customer list either. A well-groomed, Abhishek Bachchan should be able to pull it off. But not a Salman Khan: for with the Rover, what you see is NOT what you get.
0 comments:
Post a Comment